Publications

Case Study of the San Pedro Bay Ports’ Clean Air Action Plan 2006-2018: Best Practices and Lessons Learned

3/1/2021

The development and implementation of the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is a groundbreaking and ongoing project with significant environmental benefits. The CAAP can serve as a map for other port authorities considering their own air quality actions and near-port communities interested in promoting clean air programs. Although every port’s situation is unique, the objective of this case study is to highlight key CAAP history, programs, and lessons learned to serve as a building block.

Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain for E-Drive Vehicles in the United States: 2010–2020

3/1/2021

Understanding the battery supply chain is particularly important for the strategic planning and development of a battery recycling infrastructure to secure critical materials supply. Building on detailed monthly sales data, this report summarizes the manufacturing and production locations of lithium-ion (Li-ion, or LIB) battery cells and packs by make and model for PEVs sold in the U.S. from 2010 to 2020. It also summarizes the annual and cumulative Li-ion battery capacity installed in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) sold in the U.S. Overall, there are about 20 different battery cell and pack manufacturers, which are currently supplying about 20 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of batteries annually for the U.S. PEV market.

Authors: Yan Zhou, David Gohlke, Luke Rush, Jarod Kelly, and Qiang Dai

Assessment of Prospective Mileage-Based Fee System to Replace Fuel Taxes for Passenger Vehicles in Pennsylvania

3/1/2021

Historically, transportation infrastructure in the United States has been funded through a per-gallon fuel tax levied at the state- and federal-levels. The federal fuel tax has remained constant over the last thirty years, even as road construction and maintenance costs have risen steeply in that time. This funding gap is widened by advances in hybrid and electric vehicle technology, which have significantly improved fleet fuel-economy and reduced revenue from fuel tax. To address this, an increasing number of jurisdictions are considering programs where vehicles are taxed per-mile traveled, rather than per-gallon of fuel consumed. These mileage-based user fees (MBUFs) could replace federal and state fuel taxes and reduce the deficit in transportation infrastructure funding. This report develops high-resolution estimates of annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per vehicle aggregated at the state, county, and zip code level. Based on these estimates of VMT and fuel economy, researchers estimate the annual cost to vehicle owners of the existing fuel tax, and compare this cost against the cost of MBUF’s, at various rates.

Authors: Matthews, H. S.; Fischbeck, P. S.; Yuan, C.; Fan, Z.; Lyu, L.; Acharya, P. S.

Fuel a Greener Future

3/1/2021

This report outlines the importance of utilizing all available low-carbon heavy-duty transport options available today to dramatically lower overall transportation-related pollution and shares important information about the availability of domestically sourced renewable natural gas vehicle and fueling technology.

U.S. Airport Infrastructure and Sustainable Aviation Fuel

2/26/2021

Worldwide, aviation accounts for 2% of all manmade carbon dioxide emissions and 12% of all transportation CO2 emissions In 2018, the U.S. accounted for 25% of the world jet fuel consumption and 21% of global enplanements. Airports and airlines are considering alternative fuel to meet environmental and sustainability goals and mandates. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), made from non-petroleum feedstocks, has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from air transportation. SAF must be blended with petroleum based jet fuel prior to its use in aircraft. This report explores background information on jet fuel use, quality standards and best practices, airport infrastructure, and options for delivering SAF to airports.

Authors: Moriarty, K. and Kvien A.

Essential Energy: 2021 Ethanol Industry Outlook

2/17/2021

RFA's Ethanol Industry Outlook is an annual publication for information on America's ethanol industry. It provides thoughtful analysis of current issues facing the industry, along with current facts and statistics about the production and use of fuel ethanol.

Notes:

This copyrighted publication can be accessed on the Renewable Fuels Association website.

Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions of Ethanol with the GREET Model

2/17/2021

This presentation is from the 2021 National Ethanol Conference on February 17, 2021, and it covers using the GREET model and reducing pollution with vehicles that run on ethanol.

Authors: Wang, M., Lee, U., Kwon, H., Xu, H.

User Perceptions of the Risks of Electric, Shared, and Automated Vehicles Remain Largely Unexplored

2/12/2021

Advocates of electric, shared, and automated vehicles (e-SAVs) envision a future in which people no longer need to drive their privately owned, petroleum-fueled vehicles. Instead, for daily travel they rely on fleets of electric, automated vehicles that offer travel services, including the option to share, or “pool,” rides with strangers. The design, deployment, and operation of e-SAVs will require widespread willingness of users to share with strangers vehicles that are capable of fully automated driving. To achieve the environmental and societal goals of e-SAVs it is critical to first understand and address safety and security concerns of potential and actual users. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, reviewed the literature to understand potential users’ perceptions of safety and security risks posed by intertwined social and technical systems of e-SAVs and proposed a framework to advance research, policy, and system design. This policy brief summarizes the findings of that work and provides policy implications.

Authors: Kurani, K.

EV Charging Needs Assessment: Identifying Needs and Opportunities for EV Fast Charging in Rural and Underserved Areas of the Intermountain West

2/1/2021

Corridors of the West (CORWest) is a three-year initiative to support plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) infrastructure investment and educational opportunities in rural and underserved areas of the intermountain west. A key first step under the project is to understand barriers to PEV adoption and, more specifically, direct current (DC) fast charger station deployment in rural and underserved areas of the intermountain west, and identify potential pathways for addressing these barriers. To understand barriers to EV adoption and station deployment in rural and underserved areas, the CORWest project team developed a questionnaire that was disseminated to select stakeholder groups to gather feedback. This report provides a summary of trends and typical issues being faced in the region and offers recommendations for ways to address high-priority needs and support PEV deployment and DC fast charger investment.

Authors: Powers, C.

Evaluation of Safety Standards for Fuel System and Fuel Container Integrity of Alternative Fuel Vehicles

2/1/2021

In this report, NREL offers considerations to reflect minimum safety standards, current industry best practices and existing standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty CNG and propane vehicle fuel system container integrity, fuel container integrity, and fuel container fire tests. The considerations for fuel system and fuel container integrity requirements are justified by literature review, relevant research, and technical forum feedback. In addition, this report provides relevant research, where available, and identifies test procedures to evaluate compliance with the performance requirements.

Authors: Lynch, L.; Browning, L.; Snelling, A.

National Park Service Bus Electrification Study: 2020 Report

2/1/2021

This report summarizes important considerations for implementing battery electric buses (BEBs) in the three national park fleets, detailing information about current buses at each fleet, electric bus demonstration vehicles, and performance evaluations of BEBs in Zion, Bryce, and Yosemite. Results include in-use data collection metrics such as average bus speed, energy usage per trip, and daily distance traveled. Also covered are effects of high heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system use to both heat and cool the buses, emissions estimations before and after use of electric buses, operating costs, electric vehicle infrastructure, maintenance, and bus driver user experience survey information.

Authors: Gilleran, M.; Kotz, A.; Eudy, L.; Kelly, K.

Transportation Electrification in North Carolina

2/1/2021

This brief provides an overview of the state of the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market and deployment in North Carolina while also highlighting travel patterns and transit agency statistics, along with snapshots of PEV policy and program examples from other states. Statewide transportation electrification roadmaps and funding available through the Volkswagen Settlement have generated momentum in North Carolina and can be harnessed to accelerate the PEV market across the state and position it as a regional and national leader.

Authors: Smith, C.

Final Technical Report-WestSmart EV: Western Smart Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Partnership

1/19/2021

The WestSmartEV (WSEV) project has accelerated adoption of electric vehicles (EV) throughout the PacifiCorp/Rocky Mountain Power’s service territory in the intermountain west by developing a large-scale EV charging infrastructure network with coordinated EV adoption programs. The project objectives have strategically deployed 79 direct current fast charging to create two primary electric interstate highway corridors along I-15 and I-80. Additionally, it has incentivized installation of Level 2 chargers at workplace locations, incentivized the purchase of EVs, provided all electric solutions for first- and last-mile trips, provided centralized data collection, analysis, modeling, and tool development to inform investment and policy decisions, and developed education outreach materials and conducted workshops across the WSEV region. This report summarizes the WSEV project efforts.

Authors: Campbell, James

Joint Agency Staff Report on Assembly Bill 8: 2021 Annual Assessment of Time and Cost Needed to Attain 100 Hydrogen Refueling Stations in California

1/12/2021

California has nearly 10,000 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on its roads, and projections show more than 61,000 FCEVs by 2027. This report contains time and cost assessments for the network of publicly available hydrogen refueling stations to support the FCEV market under the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program.

Authors: Baronas, J.; Chen, B.

EV Charging and Public/Private Partnerships: RFP Template

1/1/2021

An effective request for proposal (RFP) is often the critical first step towards transportation electrification. This RFP template from Forth Mobility provides essential guidance for cities seeking to expand their electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, especially for projects intended to be owned and operated by a partner vendor at low- or no-cost to the city. The RFP template will assist cities and EV charging infrastructure deployment partners in creating measurable project goals and having a better understanding of what is being asked of them. Further, Forth Mobility has designed the RFP template to support cities in collaborating with the private sector not only to expand EV infrastructure, but also to strengthen public-private partnerships through flexibility and goal fulfillment. Specifically, the RFP template offers cities and private-sector partners guidance on site ownership, payment models, and potential site locations.

Authors: Erin Galiger